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From: mfs@mhuxr.UUCP (SIMON)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: International Long Distance
Message-ID: <230@mhuxr.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 1-Feb-85 09:02:52 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxr.230
Posted: Fri Feb  1 09:02:52 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Feb-85 11:29:10 EST
References: <4450@ucbvax.ARPA> <4458@ucbvax.ARPA> <286@ptsfc.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 22

>   As for your other point about non-availability of international direct
>   dial service: it may be your phone number, rather than your exchange,
>   at fault here. I discovered that IDD is only available to numbers with
>   *special feature* capability - i.e. Call-Forwarding, Call-Waiting,
>   3-Way-Calling - and that those numbers, being limited, are generally
>   only given to subscribers who buy one or more of those features. If you
>   think IDD would be a useful feature, you might consider it worthwhile
>   to change your number - I found it a big money-saver in the long run.
> 
>  rod williams

It is definitely the exchange. It has to do with the exchange having
or not having automatic wink start trunks to 4ESS. If it does not or
if it can only talk to 4AXB exchanges, you have to go through TSPS,
i.e. the operator. You also do not have to have special features to
get IDDD capability (I don't, for one). And finally, if you know the
entire calling sequence (Area code, country code, city code if
applicable as well as the phone number you are trying to call :-),
you will *not* be charged operator assisted rates if your exchange
does not have IDDD. If you are, you should flame AT&T-C.

Marcel Simon